"Chihayafuru -Meguri-"Ami Touma's tears as "Meguru" make viewers "tear up" and "cry hysterically"

The final episode of the drama series "Chihayafuru: Meguri" (NTV, Wednesdays at 10 PM), starring actress Ami Touma, aired on September 10. The episode depicted the final match between Meguru (Touma) and the Umezono Karuta Club and the reigning champion Mizusawa, with the winner competing for a spot in the national tournament, sparking a stir on social media.

◇The following contains spoilers.

In the final episode, Meguru and the Umezono Karuta Club face off against the reigning champion, Mizusawa, in the final qualifying round to advance to the national tournament. Kanade (Mone Kamishiraishi) serves as the caller. And then, the match finally begins. Umezono and Mizusawa, Meguru and Nagi (Nanoka Hara) face off against each other. Kanade's introductory song echoes throughout the venue, and Mizusawa alumni, including Chihaya (Suzu Hirose), Taichi (Nomura Shuhei), Nishida (Yamoto Yuma), and Sumire (Yuki Mio), are captivated by her beautiful voice in the audience.

"Go Umezono!" Megu shouts confidently. Next to her are Fuki (Jun Saito), Chieri (Arashi Rina), Sota (Soma Santoki), and Yakumo (Sakamoto Manato). With the best teammates who have worked hard together, on the best stage, they are having the best time. "Let's all go one at a time, as always!" Megu's voice brings Umezono back to life, who has been at a disadvantage since the beginning.

The match between Umezono and Mizusawa was a back-and-forth affair with neither side willing to give in. However, Chieri and Yakumo lost, forcing Umezono to the brink. Umezono had no choice but to make a furious comeback, closing the gap until it was time for a fateful match between the three pairs. Meanwhile, Umezono's opponent, lured by Kusata's moves, made a mistake, giving Umezono a win.

Then, Meguru suddenly began practicing the signal that the Umezono members had decided on to attack the enemy camp. Then, when the cards were read, Meguru, Nagi, Fuki, and Kenshin (played by Fujiwara Daisuke) jumped out with great force... and so the action unfolded.

Meguru and Fuki's hands just missed the target, and the match ended with Mizusawa winning four games. After the match, Meguru and Fuki were unable to stand up. Kanade, who had finished reading the cards, rushed over to them, and Meguru's face twisted as she muttered, "I'm sorry..." and burst into tears, not caring about the people around her. Kanade gently supported Meguru.

On social media, many people were moved by Meguru's tears after she was stunned by the sight of her seniors crying openly in front of everyone after losing in the first episode. Comments such as "In episode 1, Meguru said she didn't understand why the seniors were crying, and she burst into tears... I cried too," "Her tear ducts were completely broken," "It was so moving to see Meguru crying...," "Sobbing," and "I can't stop crying" were posted.

Additionally, on X (formerly Twitter), the show was the number one trending topic in Japan immediately after the broadcast ended, and even just an hour later at midnight on the 11th, it was still in second place, attracting a lot of attention, with many expressing their "Chihayafuru loss" with comments such as "I'm already in tears because I'm so sad," "Is there no more next week?", "I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms," and "What should I look forward to next week?"